Did anyone else read Saturdays Sun-Times when Epstein stated that the cubs should be able to compete for the division championship by 2015? With recent talk of wrigley renovations I intrepret Epstein as throwing in the towel for 2013 and 14 while concentrating on the renovations. sorry if I opened up another useless cub thread but was wondering if anybody else saw it.

Did anyone else read Saturdays Sun-Times when Epstein stated that the cubs should be able to compete for the division championship by 2015? With recent talk of wrigley renovations I intrepret Epstein as throwing in the towel for 2013 and 14 while concentrating on the renovations. sorry if I opened up another useless cub thread but was wondering if anybody else saw it.

Well, in theory that is when their young talent should be fully matured and ready. The only problem that I can find is I am not sure what young talent they are talking about.

__________________The universe is the practical joke of the General at the expense of the Particular, quoth Frater Perdurabo, and laughed. The disciples nearest him wept, seeing the Universal Sorrow. Others laughed, seeing the Universal Joke. Others wept. Others laughed. Others wept because they couldn't see the Joke, and others laughed lest they should be thought not to see the Joke. But though FRATER laughed openly, he wept secretly; and really he neither laughed nor wept. Nor did he mean what he said.

Pretty much what I thought. I'm used to seeing cub management throw in the towel but they usually at least wait until two or three of their big name players go on the DL during the last week of spring training.

You cannot deny the talent/potential of Castro and Rizzo and maybe even Jackson.

Although, I think the Cubs front office messed up calling Jackson up as soon as they did. Now Vitters may be a bust. I feel like he's been in their system for ten years now anyways. As someone already noted, until they have frontline starting pitching they're not going anywhere.

I still cannot believe how easily the Cubs got Rizzo from the Padres. We should make a trade like that. Andrew Cashner? Really? Probably the Hoyer-Padres connection.

You cannot deny the talent/potential of Castro and Rizzo and maybe even Jackson.

Although, I think the Cubs front office messed up calling Jackson up as soon as they did. Now Vitters may be a bust. I feel like he's been in their system for ten years now anyways. As someone already noted, until they have frontline starting pitching they're not going anywhere.

I still cannot believe how easily the Cubs got Rizzo from the Padres. We should make a trade like that. Andrew Cashner? Really? Probably the Hoyer-Padres connection.

The Cubs might have gotten Rizzo based on Hoyer's Padres' connection because the Red Sox gave him up due to Hoyer's Red Sox connection. I recall reading somewhere that some members of the Padres organization thought that Rizzo would never be able to hit at the major league level (or maybe it was just in their park).

The Padres also acquired Yonder Alonso from the Reds which made Rizzo expendable.

The Cubs might have gotten Rizzo based on Hoyer's Padres' connection because the Red Sox gave him up due to Hoyer's Red Sox connection. I recall reading somewhere that some members of the Padres organization thought that Rizzo would never be able to hit at the major league level (or maybe it was just in their park).

The Padres also acquired Yonder Alonso from the Reds which made Rizzo expendable.

You cannot deny the talent/potential of Castro and Rizzo and maybe even Jackson.

Although, I think the Cubs front office messed up calling Jackson up as soon as they did. Now Vitters may be a bust. I feel like he's been in their system for ten years now anyways. As someone already noted, until they have frontline starting pitching they're not going anywhere.

I still cannot believe how easily the Cubs got Rizzo from the Padres. We should make a trade like that. Andrew Cashner? Really? Probably the Hoyer-Padres connection.

I don't know about Jackson(big contact and K issues), but I would be more excited about Almora and Javier Baez. But the pitching in their system is not very good. It looks like their plan is to build the offense up and probably sign veteran pitchers to build their staff once they are closer.